Senate Proceeding on Apr 23rd, 2009 :: 3:15:35 to 3:21:49
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3:15:32 to 3:15:53( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: similarly, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of mr. gao. i would be happy to yield the floor. e presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. hatch: madam presid-- mr. hatch: madam president, i am indebted to the senator for him in requesting the chinese government makes this matter priet. i am very grateful that he's

3:15:35 to 3:21:49( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Orrin Hatch

3:15:54 to 3:16:15( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: taken time to come and tell us about mr. gao and also this wonderful woman who is being held in iran as well. and i just want to compliment him for it and ask that i be identified with his remarks. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hatch: madam president, i ask that the pending amendment

3:16:16 to 3:16:36( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: be set aside and i call up amendment number thpresiding officer: without report. the clerk: mr. hatch proposes an amendment numbered 1007. mr. hatch: i ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment b the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hatch: madam president, i rise today to introduce an amendment that will ensure transparency and prevent

3:16:37 to 3:16:58( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: egregious cases of fraud against american workers. my amendment is very simple. and i think it's all it does is prevent the administration from rescinding current regulations that require transparency in the way that union management chooses to spend the hard-earned deuce collected from their -- dues collected from their members.

3:16:59 to 3:17:19( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: this is directed at preventing standards which is the sole federal agency test protecting the interests of american workers who pay union dues. under current federal

3:17:20 to 3:17:40( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: requires transparency of labor-management spending of dues and in the area of labor leaders, the purchasing of union assets and additional information regarding various union receipts. this law requires union leaders to disclose how members' money is spent and provides protection from fraud, waste, and abuse.

3:17:41 to 3:18:02( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: public opinion in our nation's dire economic conditions has driven us to require banks, corporations, and even presidential do business in the light of day in full therefore, the same expectation of transparency should apply to labor unions. the previous administration took

3:18:03 to 3:18:23( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: steps to do that in 2003 by updating and forms. these updates allowed the el on the internet. the office of labor management standards, olms, was about to require a second update about co

3:18:24 to 3:18:45( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: this revision also would have required the disclosure of transactns involving union assets. unfortunately, as reported this year in the april 21 federal register, the labor department and hilda effective date of these revisions. on the same date the labor department has publi

3:18:46 to 3:19:07( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: notice that seeks to withdraw the rule entirely. by doing this, secretary solis has effectively neutralized standards in its mission to ensure that transparency in way that labor unions spend their members' hard of earned money. this is being done by an administration had a has told ththe american public that transparency and change has

3:19:08 to 3:19:28( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: returned to washington. it labor department did not get that memo. i feel confident that president obama would be on my side on this, that he would want the transparency. it's in the best interests of union workers. it protects them from fraud. it protects their dues, as they put them in there.

3:19:29 to 3:19:50( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: and uni just like businesses run bunesses, but they ought to do it honestly. that's why these regulations are so important. that's why this amendment is so important. there shld not be any debate as to the effectiveness of the olms. from

3:19:51 to 3:20:11( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: investigat indictments -- the office of labor- investigations between 2001 and 2007 resulted in 1,000 indictments and convictions of 929. the funds recovered that were illegally taken amounted to $93

3:20:12 to 3:20:32( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: million. abouthink about that. $93 million was paid restitution to the victims of those crimes. now, i'm sure that i need not remind any member of this body that uni dues are seldom voluntarily given. men and women who join these

3:20:33 to 3:20:53( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: unions are compelled to pay as part of their employment agreement. union funds were also comprised of pension funds which have occasionally been targeted by organized crime and used to underwrite mob activities. i know. i was a member of the afl-cio. i went through a form at apprenticeship.

3:20:54 to 3:21:14( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: i pays dues and i became a journeyman metal lat trade bk in these years when i was wrorking in construction. but union also comprised of pension funds, which sometimes are targeted by

3:21:15 to 3:21:35( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: organized crime and used to underwrite mob activities. when i was chairman of the labor committee, we did a lot to try to overcome these things but it's never been better than between 2001 and 2007. from october through may of 2007 in the state of new york alone,

3:21:36 to 3:21:49( Edit History Discussion )

Orrin Hatch: the olms conducted and obtained 87 indictments, resulting in 82 convictions. that's a high conviction rate, showing this is not some little itty-bitty problem.